Sight-feed and dirt-screen for vacuum feed devices.



W. JAY.

SIGHT FEED AND DIRT SCREEN FOR VACUUM FEED DEVICES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I6. |9I6.

Patented June 18, 1918.

I' WIr/ll s WEBB JAY, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SIGHT-FEED AND 'DIRT-SCREEN FOR VACUUM DEVICES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jane 18, 1918.

Application led September 16, 1916. Serial No. 120,571.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it knownI that I, WEBB JAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sight-Feeds and Dirt-Screens for Vacuum Feed Devices, of which the following is a Specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,I 'forming a part thereof. i

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved device adapted to the two purposes of -permitting the observance of the fact and rate of feed of the liquid fuel to a vacuum feed device for internal co1ni, bustion engines, and of screening the liquid fuel to separate therefrom on its way to the feed reservoir any dirt which it may con.

ig. 5 is a section at the line 5-5 on Fig.. 2.

ig. 6 is a section at the line 6--6 on Fig. 2. 4 Figs. 7 and 8 are sections at the lines 7-7 and 8-8, respectively, on Fig. 6, each of said figures showing three positions of the twin cock device, denoted respectively a, b and 0, on said Figs. 7 and In the structure shown in the drawings, A is the main fuel supply tank of the fuel feed ystem; B is the elevated vacuum feed tank.

is the sight feed and screen device, comprising a Ametal body or casing, 1, having sight apertures, 2, and having fitting within it atubular glass member, 10, which is clamped to a liquid-tight fit at yboth ends by means of a clamping ring, 11, screwed onto the lower end of the metal body, 1, and

- clamping the bottom, 12. against the lower end of the body, suitable gaskets, 10iL and 10", being interposed at the ends of the glass tube, 10. The body or casing, 1, 1s provided at the upper end with a boss, 3, protrudmg laterally, and radiall with respect to the circular form of the body. This boss is exteriorly threaded and is designed to protrude through ,an aperture, 4, in the dash-board, 6, of the vehicle on which the engine which isl served. by the device Ais mounted. A nut', 7, serves to clamp the device rigidly to the dash-board on the inner o1 rear side thereof, the threaded boss, 3, proJecting through and being exposed at the forward or outer side for the liquid connections hereinafter more particularly described. Extending through the boss are two ducts, 8 and 8a, the former for connection with the fuel inlet and the latter for connection with the fuel outlet. Both these ducts open downwardly through the top of the casing or body, 1, the inlet at the center and the outlet near one side just inside the inner circumference of the glass lining tube, 10, a conical sieve or screen, 14, is litted closely into a circular recess, 12, formed ini the upper side `of the bottom, 12, of the casing bounded by the vertical shoulder, 12". Into the downwardly-opening mouth of the inlet duct, 8, there is screwed a discharge nipple, 8, overhanging the apex of the conical screen or sieve, 14, for discharge of the liquid .fuel onto said apex so that it will ilow down over the screen and be discharged throughit, leaving any dirt which itcarries on the outside of the screen. Into the down-v wardly-open endy of the outlet duct, 8, there is screwed fast a pipe, 13, whose lower end makes a tight fit in one of the upwardlyopen ends of the outlet duct, 12C, formed in the bottom, l2, the other upwardly-open end of said duct being positioned under the apex of the screen, 14, and having screwed into it at that end the discharge nipple, 13, which protrudes up within the screen or sieve, 14, at such distance above the bottom of the chamber as may be judged desirable to afford a trap orpocket for the accumulation of water in the bottom of the chamber.'

A drain cock, 16', is provided screwed into the bottom, 12, of the casing, leading from a drain duct, 12d, which opens within the glass lining sleeve, 10, of the chamber outside the base of the conical sleeve or screen, for-the purpose of drawin off the water. This drainage duct is pre erably made to open as stated, outside the base of the screen, so that in a large measure the dirt which has been separated and stopped by the screen may be drawn off-at the same time as vthe water. To permit the ready removal of the screen for the purpose of cleansing it when necessary, and at thesame time .to removel any dirt which accumulates and is not washed out in drawing oif the water through the cock, 16, the clamp ring, 11, is unscrewed and the entire bottom, 12, is With-y drawn, carrying the screen, 14, the lower end of the pipe, 13, relieving from its seat inl the upwardly-opening mouth of the duct, 12C, and being readily remated with it in re-appl ing the bottom to the casing. A The boss, 4, has the outer ends Iof the ducts, 8 and 8a, counterbored and threaded for receiving the couplings, 17 and 18, of familiar construction, for eecting a tight junction with the ducts, 8 and 8, of the inlet `and outlet pipes, 19 and 20, which lead respectively from the main supply tank, A, at the lower level to the vacuum chamber of the tank, B, at the higher level. In order to provide for the possibility of lthe breaking of the glass lining, 10, of the chamber, that is, .to prevent such an accident from disabling the vacuum feed appa ratus, there is provided a duplex three-position turn-cock device or valve, 30, seated in the boss, 3, at a position such that it crosses and controls both the inlet duct, 8, and the outlet duct, 8a, and having a separate passage foreach of said ducts, 8 and 8, which passages at one position. of the cock lead directly through the latter for free communication of said ducts forY inlet andl outlet respectively; buty atanother position of the cock, 90 degrees around from the first said passages of the cock are out of registration with said ducts respectively, and a lateral recess or by-pass passage of the. cock which extends longitudinally thereof a distance equal to the Adistance between the two transverse passages plus their two diameters stands in a position lapping at its ends on the two ducts, 8 and 8a, at the outer side of the cock, so that said inlet and outlet ducts, 8 and 8a, are put in communication through said lateral or by-pass-passage of the cock, and are both cut off from communication with the chamber, C.

Referring to the drawings, particularly to Figs. 7 and 8, which illustrate the turncock referred to, the two transverse passages, 31 and 32, are those mentioned which at the normal or ordinary positionl of the turn-cock, that is, when the sight feed device is in service, are registered respectively with the inlet passage, 8, and loutlet passage, Sa. 33 is the lateral recess or by-pass passage referred to formed in the turn-cock, 30, extending longitudinally thereof far enough to lap the ports of .the inlet and outlet passages, 8 and 8, respectively. The three positions of the turn-cock, 30, above referred to, are shown in Figs. 7 land 8; po-

, of the glass makes it necessary to establish communication between the main tank, A,

and the vacuum feed tank, B, -without utilizing that chamber; position c is that occupied by the cock when it is employed for shutting olf the flow entirely from the main 'supply tank to the Vacuum feed tank.

The operation of the device, C, when connected as shown in the line of communication by which the fuel is intermittently supplied to the tank, B, as. in the well known vacuum `feed system shown, is that in the intervals during which a partial vacuum is produced in the vacuum chamber of said tank, B, such partial vacuum extends to the screen chamber of the device, G, and the liquid fuel is drawn up through the inlet duct, 12,. and discharged downwardly through the open space of the screen chamber onto the apex of the screen and 'flows down over and through the latter; and said screen chamber being filled up to the intake mouth of the up-standing discharge niplle, 13a, the liquid thus discharged an Hows out by way of the pipe, 13, and outlet duct, 8a, or is drawn out by the suction and is conducted to and discharged in the vacuum chamber of the tank, B, as in the ordipassing through the screen,

nary operation of such vacuum feed sysy vber were at all times full ofy liquid, the liquid merely lmoving through it in an unbroken mass or body, and being obliged topass through the screen in so moving. And second, that in the alternate action of suction and atmospheric pressure operating in the vacuum chamber of `the vacuum feed tank, B, when after a period of partial vacuum, which causes a partial vacuum also in the screen chamber, the atmospheric Apressure becomes operative in said vacuum chamber,

such atmospheric pressure acting back on' the liquid which fills the outlet pipe from the screen chamber to said vacuum chamber against the partial vacuum which still for a brief `interval continues to exist -in the screen chamber, causes a somewhat violent regurgitation of the liquid standing above the end of the nipple, 13, the liquid being 130 v the screen, with the effect of washin olf 'any dirt which may have accumu ated thereon.

Certain of the effects above described,- the visibility of the discharge of liquid onto the conical screen; the effect of such discharge as a jet delivered through open space in washing oil' the screen, and the regurgitation of the liquid upon the change from vacuum to atmospheric pressure,-it will b e readily understood, are dependent upon the screen chamber not becoming illed with liquid. .This condition is assured by either one of two features which characterize the construction as it is ordinarily mounted. First, the fact that the pipe leading from the main low level reservoir to the screen chamber is considerably longer than the pi e leading from the screen chamber to t e vacuum feed tank so that the friction of the liquid moving in said pipes respectively is considerably .greater in the first-mentioned than in the second, which has the effect of causing the partial vacuum of suction operating in the suction chamber of the vacuum feed tank to take the liquid out of the pipe jconnecting the screen chamber with that suction chamber more rapidly than it can come into the screen chamber through the longer pipe leading from the low level tank. Secondly, the diameter of the outlet duct from the screen chamber at its most ref stricted part, which is in the pipe member, 13, is greater than the diameter of the inlet passage t its most restricted part, which is the nipp e, 8c; and this again has the effect ofinsuring that the outflow of the liquid -fromthe screen chamber, occurring at the instant of change from atmospheric pressure to suction in the suct1on chamber of the vacuum feed tank, will be more rapid than the inflow occurring at the same instant from the low-level tank. Either of these causes, and especially both of them operating together, insure that the screening and sight feed chamber will never be flooded but will always have a free space through which the liquid will be discharged visibly and unobstructedly upon the conical screen.

I claim 1. A screening device for suction-lifted liquid fuel supply, comprising a screen chamber, a conical screen or sieve erected in said chamber;,a liquid inlet pipe to said frame or casing vduct opening under the screen, said chamber having an exteriorlyrotrudin 'boss throughv which both said ucts -lea said boss being adapted for mounting the device.

3. A screenln device for suction-lifted l liquid fuel supp y, comprising in combination, a screen chamber havin an exterior provided wit sight apertures, and an interior transparent linmg; a conical screen or sieve erected within the linin of the chamber; an inlet duct opening or discharge downward from one end of the chamber above the apex of the screen, and an outlet duct extending for its intake upward from the other end of the chamber, and opening under the screen, said ducts leading in and out respectively through the same'end of the chamber, the duct which o ens from the opposite end comprising a pipe which extends from end to end of the chamber inside the glass lining thereof.

4. A vscreening device for suction-lifted liquid fuel supply, comprising in combination a screen chamber having a metal shell or casing with inlet and outlet ducts both leading in through one end and extending for intake and discharge opening respectively from opposite ends of the chamber, the duct which so extends from the end opposite that through which both ducts lead in, comprising a pipe which makes a thrust fit at its junction with one end of the chamber.' y

'5. In a screening device for suction-lifted liquid fuel supply, in combination a skeletoned or apertured chambered body having a separable lining within the same, inlet and outlet passages extending in juxtaposition in said body at a location at which they may both be pierced Without piercing said separable lining, and a turn-cock device having its seat traversing bo'th said ducts at a juxtaposed extent or controlling both `said ducts, and having a by-pass passage which connects the inlet and outlet ducts at a position of the turn-cock at which it cuts off communication of both said ducts with the chamber.

6. In a screening device for suction-lifted liquidA fuel supply, in combination with a screen chamber comprising a casing having an inlet and an outlet, a screen positioned within the casing between the inlet and'the outlet, said casing comprising a boss protruding at the upper part of the casing for mounting the device upon a support, said boss having both inlet and outlet passages leading through it, the casing having a removable bottom member, an outlet duct member carried by said bottom member, the outlet duct comprising a pipe portion located within the casing, and making a thrust fit at one end with the adjacent portion of the outlet duct which is containedt in the corresponding end of the chamber, and means for clamping the bottom member onto the body, adapted to apply the thrust necessary for effecting s'aid thrust it of said pipe.

7, In a screening device, in combination with a screen chamber comprising a casing .having an inlet and an outlet, a screen "positioned Within the casing' between the inlet andthe outlet, said casing comprising aboss `protruding at the upper part of the casing for mountin the device upon its support,

the boss having both inlet and' outlet pas'.

sages leading through it, said passages leading also lthrough the upper part of the casing, said casing having a removable bottom l* member, a portion of the outlet duct beingv formed in said bottom member, said outlet duct comprising a pipe portion located within the casing and making a` thrust fit at one end with the portion of said duct which is contained in the corresponding end of the casing, the bottom member of the casing being adapted to be applied to the body of the casing by axial movement and pressure, andy an interiorly-'langed and exteriorly threaded I clamping ring adapted to be screwed onto the lower end of the body, and by itsv flange engaging the bottom or clamping it to the bod 8.. screening device 'for suction-lifted liquid fuel'supply, comprising in combina.

tion with .a- Iscreen chamber which has 'ar `metal shell or casing, and whichl has inlet and outlet ducts both leading in through .the same end of the casing, said ducts havlng their terminal portions leading respec-- tively to the intake and discharge openings, extending toward eachother from opposite ends of the chamber, the duct vwhich so extends from -the end opposite that through which both ducts lead in as stated, having a portion which is in position for making a thrust fit at its junction with the next succeeding portion thereof formed in one end of the chamber. l

9. A screening device for suction-lifted WEBB JAY.

'e5 liquid' fuel supply, comprising in combina- 

